Why Keeping Goals A Secret May Help You Succeed

Blabbing about our diets, or any big goal, can hurt our chances of actually doing whatever it is we intend to do. And psychology studies have been saying this from as far back as the 1920s! In fact, that theory was first presented in 1928 by a Russian psychologist. He found that talking a big game about our future plans makes us less likely to take action.

Madelyn Fernstrom is a professor of psychiatry at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine…… And she explains it this way: She says a lot of people want credit just for saying they'll do something. And today, that theory is really clear when we’re online. Have you ever announced to your friends on Facebook your intention to do something big, like run a half marathon? Quit smoking? Well, each Facebook pat-on-the-back is so rewarding in itself – that our resolve to actually do something drops every time our friends click “like," or say “way to go!” Psychologists call it "social reality."

Basically, you feel so rewarded for simply announcing your intentions that your brain is tricked into thinking you’ve already done what you intended to do. So, what happens if you really want to talk to someone about your goal? Talk in terms of progress: what you've actually done, what you've got left to do and what you need to be held accountable for. That way, your goal is based in reality – not “social reality.”